If you’re like me, you ask yourself this question every year. I hate baking. I hate cooking. Still, I make a few things for Thanksgiving. I make mashed Miracle Whip red potatoes. I make ensalada rusa, a Dominican delicacy. I also make pumpkin pie. But this year, I found myself asking on Facebook if there were any alternatives to using Silk soy “milk.”
Looks like someone at the Forward had the same idea:
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 
Dear Aliza, I hope all is well with you and your family. I live in Israel, I would suggest coming here if its possible. its definately a holy land. you feel it. I want to ask you a question , this is regarding your older posts. You said that you suffered from depression. I dont see it written anymore in your newer posts, so did it go away? I hope so! you know that would be a miracle, since usually its for life, sadly. So, Ive had depression since I was 15. Im not in my 40’s, and before I was religious I did very dangerous things, I think because I just wanted to die–like spending lots of time in Harlem, south Bronx, I was in East and west harlem. I actually had better experiences in East Harlem. nothing against blacks, I had a black boyfriend who was very dangerous. he was a pimp and a drug dealer. I had to escape from a sex trafficing plan for me- planned by him. my “boyfriend.” yeah- right. Ive had guns pulled on me, not by him, by other black men who I thought were friends, etc. Sometimes, I wonder why I wasnt killed then. I ask that because im still suffering from depression. I do take a medication that helps me, but not fully. I think that if the neshamah has to suffer to clean it, then its going to suffer, weather in this world, or the next. so, if I was killed then, I would still most likely have to suffer in the next world. My main question to you, is how is your depression now, and how did you have children having depression (if you still have it) did you take med. while you were preg.? So Baruch H i do have one child, and I took anti depressants when i had him. but they were a good category, called SSRI’s. now I take Benzos, which are in a horrible category, and its hell getting off of them. ive tried. I couldnt move for 12 hours- literally. I couldnt eat or drink. my mind went into this really bizarre space, like my entire life was being told to me , anctually everything this “voice” (not audible) said was true. I thought I was going to die from the sheer intensity. So, I would love to hear from you. my english name is Karen Torrano. my husband converted from Panama. his grandfather was Jewish and went off the derech and married his grandmother on his mothers side. he grew up living with his grandfather, and since he was raised religious, he spoke about it alot to my husband. I think he chose to cut off with his family, although his family may have cut off with him. I dont know the whole story there. Be that as it may, Do take care. are you in California now, or still new york? what part of california are you in? the Valley? I know there is a huge Jewish community there. my uncle used to live in los angelos with an actress. he left her when he found out she had a gun. hes a character. hes an excellent guitar player, but he will only play his music, he doesnt take requests. he says “screw you”, and then hes usually fired from his gig, and he leaves. good thhing hes married now to a ph.D therapist and makes a good living, or he would be homeless, with his attitude. Have a relaxing shabbas.be well,Karen
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So my depressed was due to my chronic illness and the chronic pain from my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I was able to get better pain management when I moved to Los Angeles and with that, my depression also went away. My husband has bipolar disorder and he takes medication for that and depression. I lived in East Harlem for a year from 2005-2006 and it was awesome. I did have PTSD and probably still do to some extent from the abuse during my childhood. It sounds like you were definitely in some unsafe situations. I’m in Los Angeles, California now in the Pico Robertson area.
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I changed my name legally when I converted. It was Darisa Diaz and then Aliza Ben-Tzion and now Aliza Hausman. 🙂 So Aliza is my English name now. People mispronounce it all the time like Eliza Doolittle.
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Hi, I am in California now in Los Angeles. Not the Valley.
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